1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a shock absorbing finger-tip protector. More specifically, the present invention relates to a finger-tip protector which is designed to alleviate the fatigue and soreness generally associated with the repetitive striking of a finger against a hard surface, such as the contact pad of a video slot machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Slot machine tournaments have experienced increased popularity at the various gambling venues around the country. During these tournaments, the participants play video slot machines for long durations of time. Unlike prior slot machines where a lever or arm was pulled down to initiate play, with the video slot machine a touch pad, rather than a lever, is employed. Specifically, a hard contact pad is tapped with the player's finger. It has been noted that during these tournaments, both young and old players often complained about soreness developing in their fingers and particularly in the finger used to tap the contact pad of the video slot machine.
Numerous devices have been developed to protect a finger or toe from injury. Other devices have been developed to protect injured digits, to promote healing and to prevent further discomfort of the individual. None of these devices, however, have been specifically designed to ward against the repetitive striking of finger against a hard contact surface as is typically encountered when playing a video slot machine over an extended period of time.
Of the two general categories of prior devices mentioned above, U.S. Pat. Nos. 617,929; 1,160,522 and 2,129,496 all disclose finger-tip protectors which can be generally referred to as shields. In other words, these devices prevent the inadvertent pricking, chaffing or scraping of the finger. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,257,846 and 3,132,648 both disclose shock absorption in order to protect the finger-tip or digit from discomfort resulting from contact with an object.
In view of the foregoing limitations and shortcomings of the prior art devices, as well as other disadvantages not specifically mentioned above, it should be apparent that there still exists a need in the art for an improved finger-tip protector.
It is therefore a primary object of this invention to fulfill that need by providing a finger-tip protector which absorbs mechanical shock and prevents injury and soreness to the finger-tip as a result of repetitive contact. It is also an object of this invention to provide a finger-tip protector which will absorb mechanical shock in a specific contact area of the device.
Another object of this invention is to provide a finger-tip protector which additionally enables a person to use the protector in picking up a coin.
A further object of this invention is to provide a finger-tip protector which can be worn by individuals having long fingernails.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a finger-tip protector which permits a user to maintain a sense of touch with the finger even though the finger-tip protector of the present invention is being worn over that finger.